COLUMN: Hornets name returns, but previous history also will be coming with them

Tuesday

May 20, 2014 at 12:01 AMMay 20, 2014 at 4:14 PM

Richard Walker

CHARLOTTE – The term “perfect storm” frequently refers to devastating hurricanes or rainstorms.

But to Fred Whitfield, it means, as he put it: “Charlotte’s NBA history is now completely intact.”

In perhaps the most unique development of the re-branding of the Charlotte Bobcats to the Charlotte Hornets during Tuesday’s news conference at Time Warner Cable Arena, Whitfield announced the franchise will regain the statistical records and history of the 14 Charlotte Hornets teams from 1988 to 2002.

“We’ll have the access and ownership of our past,” said Whitfield, the team’s Sports and Entertainment president and chief operating officer. “And I think that, with the success of our team on the court, the young core of the team, the (salary) cap flexibility we have moving forward and the new Hornets name will create the perfect storm.”

Certainly, the franchise will enter its next season with more momentum than ever before.

Not only are fans delighted the last Bobcats team went 43-39 and advanced to a surprising playoff appearance, but the excitement will continue as a re-branded Hugo the Hornet mascot will be unveiled June 5, a new Honeybees dance team will begin tryouts June 7, new Hornets team uniforms will be revealed on June 19 and Time Warner Cable Arena’s new Hornets floor design will be shown to the public during a June 26 NBA Draft party.

For someone who grew up in Greensboro, was a ball boy for the Carolina Cougars ABA team and an inaugural season ticket-holder for the Charlotte Hornets when they were an expansion NBA franchise in 1988, Whitfield says it’s hard for him to contain his excitement.

“For me, it’s almost surreal,” Whitfield told the media after the news conference had ended. “I remember those early days and (majority owner) Michael (Jordan) talks fondly about coming in (with the Chicago Bulls) and battling against the Hornets and not just their team but the fans.”

The franchise’s move is unprecedented as no franchise has ever lost a team and been able to get its popular name back; The city of Cleveland negotiated with the NFL to keep their name ‘Browns’ their first franchise became the Baltimore Ravens in 1996.

But as Whitfield and executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer Pete Guelli said at Tuesday’s news conference, the return of the Hornets has been embraced by fans in extraordinary numbers.

How extraordinary?

Whitfield told media later that the team has spent “in excess of $4 million” to change the name, but the move has been “well worth it.”

Guelli supplied numbers to explain how that might be, as the franchise’s 1,000 new season ticket-holders and 90 percent renewal rate on existing season ticket-holders rank the Hornets near the top of the NBA in both categories.

Add in the unexpected playoff run and the additional merchandising opportunities and it’s easy to see how the franchise could recoup such a large expenditure so easily.

Perhaps Guelli summed that up best: “The return of the Hornets and the performance of our team on the court has been a tremendous combination for our business.”

Whitfield thinks the league’s unprecedented decision to allow the franchise to reclaim its past will create even more opportunities.

“It gives us a tremendous alumni base and a group of players many of us have called friends over the years since so many of them have remained in our community,” Whitfield said.

So, if you’re a Hornets fans from the past – or the future – Whitfield, Guelli and the rest of the franchise expects to see you quite frequently in the future.

You can reach Richard Walker at 704-869-1841 or by twitter.com/JRWalk22